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ELBGTRIG DOOR QPERATING MPARATVUS. 10.505,271, P rented Sept-19,1893.

(No Model.) 45 Sheets-Sheet, 2.

0.11. HICKS & R. F. TROY.' ELECTRIC DOOR OPERATING APPARATUS.

10.505,271. Patented sept. 19, 189s.

` 5 sheets-snm a'. O.. H. HICKS '8L R. F.- TROY. ELECTRIC DOOR OPERATING APPARATUS. N0. 505,271;

(No Model.)

" Patented Spt. 19, 1893.

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Il'l P No Model.) l `:i sheets-sheet 4.

.0. H. HICKS an R, F. TROY. ELECTRIC DOOR OPERATING APPARATUS. No. 505,271. Patented sept. 19, 189s. W/ T Y (No Model.) f 5 sheets-#sheet 5. O. H. HICKS 81; R. 1'. TROY. PLBGTRIG DOOR OPERATING APPARATUS.

No. 505,271. Patented Sept. 19, 1893. y

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Illlllllllllllllllll 6 UNITED ASTATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER H. HICKS AND ROBERTUS F. TROY, OF CHICAGO; ILLINOIS, SAID TROY ASSIGNOR TO SAID HICKS.

ELECTRIC DOOR-OPERATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,271, dated September 19, 1893.

Application filed May 15, 1893. Serial No. 474.343. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that we, OLIVER II. HICKS and RoBERTUs F. TROY, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State .of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Door- Operating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an improvement in the class of door-operating devices represented in Letters-Patent of the United States No. 461,122, granted to Robertus F. Troy,one of the joint applicants herein, on the 13th day of October, 1891. Generally stated, the aforesaid patent describes a device comprising an electric motor operatively connected with a door, a switch for cutting the `motor in and out of circuit, and a platform in front of the door adapted to be operated to work the switch to set the motor in motion to operate the door; the primarily essential function of the device being to cause the approach of a person toward the door to produce opening thereof.

We find that it is practically quite feasible to provide for operating` a door with electric apparatus, perhaps equally as well as by the platform, by employing either of two other different gen uses of primary actuating means, namely, a projection extending into the path of the approach to the door above the plane of the base thereof, whereby contact with it by the person in approaching the door is rendered, by the position of the projection, practically unavoidable, j such contact effecting the required condition of the motor to cause it to operate the door; the other genus being a plate on or adjacent to the door, in position where it will naturally be touched by a person at the door and his contact with which effects the required condition of the motormechanism to cause it to operate the door. The plate-form of contact is set forth in our joint application forV Letters Patent, Serial No. 474,342, tiled concurrently herewith. We also find that our purpose may be satisfactorily accomplished without the employment of l or plate referred to) at least, shall operate, by.

pressure or strain upon it, s'o as to affect an electric circuit, (either by opening or closing it, and preferably the latter) as will produce such operative connection with the motormeans employed, with the door, as will cause the latter to be operated.

Our present application relates, broadly, to the contact-projection extending into the path of the approach to a door, as the primary means for producing opening of the door in approaching it; and to illustrate our improvement in this connection we have selected electric mechanism somewhat analogous, in its general arrangement, to that shown and described for the same purpose in the aforesaid patent, with. its mode of operation, modified however, to operate the door in each` direction (thus to open as well as to close it) by the rotation in alternate directions of an electric motor.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure l is a View in elevation showing our improvement applied to a swinging door, represented as closed. Fig. 2 is a section taken at the line 2 on Fig. l, viewed in the direction of the arrow and enlarged. Fig. 3 is a section, showing a detail, taken at the line 3 on Fig. l, viewed in the direction of the arrow and enlarged. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one-half of the guide-detail on the door with which the swinging arm, actuated by the motor, engages to operate the door. Fig. 5 is a broken sectional view of an electric clutch carrying the arm and showing its gear-con-` nection with the motor. matic view of the clutch. Fig. '7 is a view in sectional end-elevation of the clutch, thesection being taken at the line 7 on Fig. 5, and viewed in the direction of the arrow. Figs. 8 and 9 are views in perspective, showing different electrical contact making and breaking details on the door. Fig. l0 is a perspective View of a detail for maintaining closed the primary, or electro-magnet, circuit while the door'is heilig operated in onedirection (opening) and for maintaining it open while the door is being operated inthe opposite direction (closing). Fig. 1l is a broken perspective view of a spring-detail for starting the opening of the door when the operating mechanism involves the use of the electric IOO clutch. Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic view of the apparatus including th-e clutch and showing the dierent electric circuits. Fig. 13 is a view like that presented by Fig. 12, but showing the apparatus simplified by the omission ot the electric clutch and its connections. Fig. 14 is a sectional view like that presented in Fig. 5, with the electric clutch omitted.

Following is a detailed description of our improvement as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 12, inclusive, of the drawings:

A is a door, represented as of the variety hinged at one edge to swing in a horizontal;

plane, though our improvement applies equally to other varieties of door.

At opposite sides of the door, extending above the plane of the lioor or threshold from the door frame, adjacent to the free edge of the door, into the path of the approach are lprojections B and B of any suitable variety, but preferably in the form of pivotal arms controlled by springs r to tend normally to assume the positions, in which they are represented in Fig. 2, of projecting into the path to the edge of the door at which it is opened, wherebyeither will be turned (depending on the side of the door toward which the approach is made) by contact with it of the person approaching the door to make the primary electrical contact for eifecting operation of the motor mechanism hereinafter described. The primary-contact means are shown ats and s in Fig. 2 in the form of levers controlled by springs, to tend to make contact at their points s2 with terminals s3 of a circuit w, w', hereinafter described, from which terminals, however, the points are normally separated by the' effect of the springs r of the arms B and B".

According to our present arrangement, which is preferred for theparticular appara tus, both the opening and closing operations of the door are effected by the positive movement of a horizontally swinging arm C engaging, at its free end, where it is provided with anti-friction rollers q' (see Fig. 3), a horizontal guide formed in two parts q and secured on the door near its upper end. The other end of the arm is connected with the motormechanism, which is set in motion by closure of the circuit at a contact s or s', and the best location for which is above the plane of the door, as represented, where itl may be suitably incased.

D (Fig. 12) is an electro-magnet having thev pivotal armature D connected, at its free end, with one end of a non-conducting bar D2, which is pulled, with the attraction of the armature by its magnet, against the resistance of a spring o. The bar D2 connects the piV- oral contact-fingerst,15 and t2 of three circuit closers, D3, D4 and D5, the two first-named of which form a reversing switch and are each provided with two alternate contact-points, 153,154, and Z5, Z6, respectively, while the third finger has only a single contact-point 7.

E is/an electric motor, of any suitable construction, having the end ot its armatureshaft 1o provided with a worm p', engaginga worm-wheel p2 on a rotary shaft p3 carrying, to rotate with the worm-wheel, a bevel-pinion p4, meshing with a horizontal bevel-gear at on a Vertical rotary shaft n (see Fig. 5) carrying an electro-magnetic clutch F. The clutch F comprises a series of electro-magnets m secured on the shaft n to rotate with it, and the cores m of which extend at their pole-ends through a non-magnetic (as brass) head m2, and an armature Zin the form of a disk loosely 4.supported on the shaftmwhich passes through it and through its sleeve-extension Z', from which extends the arm U already described. At one end of the clutch are contact-rings Z2 and Z3, to which, respectively, are applied the brushes Z4 and Z5, and which are electrically connected with the magnets m as indicated in the diagrammatic view presented by Fig. 6.

Other details are hereinafter set forth in the 'explanation of the electric circuits illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 12, and of which the following is a description: W and W may be the line-wires of an incandescentlamp circuit, lamps L in a branch of which then serve as resistances against excessive current entering the primary contact circuit, though by way of further precaution we insert into that circuit the fusible cut-outs L. As will be understood, we do not limit our improvement to use with any particularkind of electric generator, but have selected, for illustration, the incandescent-lamp circuit because it is liable to be found in buildings employing our device and may then be conveniently utilized for our purpose. From the line WV, the conductor w leads through a binding-post device W2, and through the adjacent resistances L and fuses L and electromagnet D, to the terminals s3; and from the line W,the conductor/w leads through a binding-post device W3 and the adjacent resistancesL and fuses L to the door contact s. A wire w3 from the bindingpost W2 leads through the eld of the motor E to the contact-finger t, and has a branch 104 leading to the contact i2; and a wire w from the binding-post W3 leads to the contact finger Z.

On the side of the door-frame toward which the door A opens is a bell-crank 7c (Fig. 1) in the path of a projection 0c on the door, and having a wire or cord connection 7a2 with a bell-crank la forming part of a circuit-closer D6 and .normally maintained by a spring 0 in contact with a terminal t', connected by a wire w (Fig. 12) with the contact t5, while the bell-crank Zt is connected with the contact Z4 by a wire 1.07 having a branch w8 leading through the motor E to the contact Z3.

On the upper end ofthe door A is a finger h, which, when the door is closed, bears against a bell-crank h', pivotally supported byawire or cord h2 with another bell-crank h3 having a Wire or cord connection h6 with a third bellcrauk Zt7 forming part ot' a circuit-closer D7 and normally tending by the force of aspring IOO IIO

o2 to make lcontact with a terminal i. A branch 109 of the branch-wire w8 leads to the bell-crank hq; and the contact i is connected 10) comprising` a spring-controlled contact-1 brush g pivotally suspended on a vertical post f on the door A and extending beyond the upper end of the latter to cause the brush to depend into the plane of a stationary horizontally curved track e extending from the top of the door frame. One side of the pivotal brush g is formed with a section d of. insulating material, the brush being connected by a branch-wire w13 with the wire w', while the track is connected by a branch-wire w14 with the wire w. It will, thus, readily be seen, that when the circuit tu, w is not closed at the primary contact s or s', and the brush g is in contact at its conducting portion with` the track e, the circuit w w is closed, as by bridging, through the branch-wires w13, w14.

A circuit-closerG is provided for use when a clutchV F is employed, and is constructed in all respects like the circuit-closer G with which its parts correspond, being denoted by the same reference-letters with prime-marks. vIts pivotal depending spring-controlled brush g is connected by a wire w15 with the clutchbrush Z5, while its track e is connected with a branch-wire w16 of the wire wt With the door A closed, as represented, the parts oc-v cupy the relative positions illustrated; and the holding of the door closed, as by latching, or by the means for the purpose hereinafter described, causes the bearing of the finger h son approaching the door to open it, against a projecting arm B or B; and such closure of the circuit rw, w causes the magnet D to be energized to attract its armature D', with the result that the fingers #and t are switched, respectively, to the contacts 3 and t5, while the nger t2 is moved off the contact 157 and opens the clutch-circuit between the Wires w4 and w11. The clutch-magnet being `thus deenergized, and its armature Zfreed, a spring c (Fig. 11) on the door-jamb, compressed by the door in its closed position, starts, by its Thus, as

recoil, the door to open, and opens it sufficiently to bring the brush g of the circuitcloser G into contact with the track e, whereby the circuit fw, w is maintained closed even if the pressure of the person against the projection B or B is immediately removed therefrom, as it is liable to be. Immediately the armature D is attracted, the motor-circuit is closed through the wire w3, finger t, contact t3 and wires w? and QUT, to circuit-closer D5,'wire tu, circuit-closer D4, (then formed with con. tact t5 and finger 17,) to wire m5, thereby causing the motor to rotate in one direction; and

the action of the spring c in jumping' the brush g of circuit-closer G onto the track e', closes the clutch-circuit through the clutchbrushes on the Wires w16, w15, w12, thereby causing the clutch-armature to be attracted by the clutch-magnet and to rotate with the motor and be turned in the direction which causes the arm C to open the door. The track e may, however, be sufficiently long to prevent the brush g from clearingV it, Whereby the respective clutch-circuit remains closed the longer. It is also to be mentioned, that the moment the door starts to open, the bearing of the finger h against the bell-crank h being released, the bell-crank 71,7 of the circuit-closer D7 is caused by the spring o2 to engage the contact i. When `the door has opened to the desired extent (which may be predetermined by the relative setting of the projection 'x and bell-crank Zc) the engagementof the projection :r with the bell-crank k opens the circuit-closer D momentarily, whereby the motor-circuit 1113,15, t3, w8, @U7 is opened at t', causing stoppage of the motor; and this immediately after the brushes g and g will have cleared their tracks eand e to the extent of bringing against the outer ends of the latter the insulated portions d and d of the pivotal depending brushes, whereby the magnet-circuit w w is opened,ireleasing the armature D and permitting the spring o to act against the bar D2 to return the fingers t, t and t2 to the contacts on `which they are illustrated. As the result, the clutchcircuit is closed over the Wire w11 and the motor-circuit is closed over wire w3, finger t, contact t4, wire co7 to wire w8` through the motor, branch-wirew9 through circuit-closer D7, over wirew10 and circuit-closer D4, then formed With contact t6 and finger t', to wire w, thereby producing rotation of the motor and clutch in the direction to turn the arm C to force the door closed. During the closing motion of the door, the insulated portions of the brushes g and g will travel on the tracks e and e', thereby maintaining open the circuit of the magnet D and the branch w15 of the clutch-circuit. When the door is shut, the finger h again breaks the motor-circuit at D7, leaving the other parts of the mechanism in the original condition shown and described, whereinthe clutch, being in a closed circuit, holds the door closed.

We may entirely dispense with the clutch IOO F, when the device G and the clutch-circuits would be omitted, leaving the mechanism in the condition represented in Fig.f13. Then, as shown in Fig. 14, the sleeve Z carrying the door-operating arm C, would be permanently fastened to the shaftf/zJ to turn with it.

The operation of the remaining parts of the mechanism would be as described, though owing to the permanent unyieldingness of the arm C independently of its carrying shaft n, the starting-spring c would be of no serv ice, and would therefore be omitted, thereby throwing upon the motor the entire work of starting the opening of the door, as well as of continuing the opening operation, and also that of effecting the door-closure, which tends to delay, slightly though undesirably, the opening at the beginning, which should be prompt and immediately responsive to the closure of the primary circuit.

By following out the diagram represented in Fig. 13, it will be seen that by closure of the circuit w, w by contact of the person with a projection B or B', the magnet D will be energized to attract its armature D and draw the rod D2, against the spring o, to turn the fingers t and t upon the contacts t3 andt, thereby closing one motor-circuit to effect rotation of the motorin the proper direction to open the door, which,.immediately after beginning to open, produces closure of the bridging circuit at G to maintain closed, during the door-opening operation, the magnet circuit. opening to the predetermined extent, produces breaking of the motor-circuit at D6 and consequent momentary stoppage of the motor, and also that the magnet-circuit will then be opened at G, whereupon the fingers t and t will resume the positions in which they are represented in Fig. 13, whereby, with the other motor-circuit closed at D7, the motor will be rotated in the direction to produce closing of the door.

The nature of our improvement requires that the description of the particular means we have selected for illustrating it shall be in the foregoing accurate detail. But we wish to be clearly understood as not limiting our invention to details except Where manifestly intended to be so limited by the terms of the appended claims. From the disclosure of our present improvement, moreover, various other means for accomplishing our purpose with the aforesaid proj ection-form of primary contactproducing means, are likely to suggest themselves to others; and we desire that all such shall be considered subordinate to our invention. adapt our improvement to operate by opening a normally closed circuit by pressure against a projection; and though the appended claims mention the circuit as being thus closed, it is not intended thereby so to limit them.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

It will also be seen that the door, onV

Moreover those skilled in the art might Y 1. In combination with a door motor mechanism and a projection extending, in a plane above the threshold, into the path of the approach to the door, and having an electricalcontact connection with the' motor-mechanism actuated by pressure against the projection to set in motion the motor-mechanism to operate the door, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a door, a projection extending, in a plane above the threshold, into the path of the approach to the door and controlling an electric circuit closed by pressure against the said projection, and motor-mechanism connected with the door for operating it and actuated to operate the door by closing the circuit by the said projection, substantially as described.

3. In combination with a door, a projection extending, in a plane above the threshold, into the path of the approach tothe door and controlling an electric circuit closed by pressure against the said projection, a swinging arm connected with the door, and motormechanism connected with the swinging arm and in anormally open electric circuit closed, upon closing the circuit controlled by the said projection, to actuate the motor-mechanism to swing the said arm to operate the door, substantially as described.

4. In combination with a door, a projection extending, in a plane above the threshold, into the path of the approach to the door and controlling an electric circuit closed by pressure against the said projection, aswingingarm connected at one end with the door, and motor-mechanism with which the swinging arm is connected at its opposite end, saidmotormechanism being in two normally open electric circuits, the one being closed, upon closing the circuit controlled by the said projection, to actuate the motor-mechanism to swing the said arm to operate the doorin one direction and the other being closed by such operation of the door to actuate the motormechanism to swing the said arm to operate the door in the opposite direction, substantially as described.

5. In combination with a door, a projection extending, in a plane above the threshold, into the path ofthe approach to the door and controlling an electric circuit closed by pressure against the said projection, and motormechanism having a clutch connected with the door for operating it and set, by closing the circuit by the said projection, to operate the door, substantially as described.

6. In combination with a door, aprojection extending, in a plane above the threshold, into the path of the approach to the door and controlling an electric circuit closed by pressure against the said projection, an electricmotor in two normally open electric circuits and having an electric clutch in a normally closed electric circuit momentarily opened by the closure of the circuit controlled by said projection and provided with and operating a swinging arm connected with the door, and

IOO

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a starting-spring, set by the door when closed and released on momentarily opening the said clutch-circuit to start the door to open, one of said motor-circuits being closed by closure of the circuit controlled by said projection to actuate the motor to turn the clutch and swinging arm to open the door and the other of said motor-circuits being closed by the opening of the door to actuate the motor to turn the clutch and swinging arm to close thedocr, and a circuit-closer actuated by the door, when opened to a desired extent, to open the first of said motor-circuits, substantially as described.

7. In combination with a door, a projection extending, in a plane above thethreshold,in to the path of the approach to the door and controlling an electric circuit closed by pressure against the said projection, an electric motor in two normally open electriccircuits, a swingingarm on a rotary shaft geared to the motor, said arm being connected at its free end with the door to open and close it by swinging in opposite directions, a circuit-closer G comprising a stationary track e electrically connected with one branch of the circuit controlled by the said projection and a pivotal brush g having an insulated section d and connected With the other branch ot said circuit and supported to engage the track and close said circuit in the opening of the door and to open it in the closing of the door, one of said motor-circuits being closed by closure of the circuit controlled by said projection to actuate the motor to-turn the swinging arm to open the door and the other of said motorcircuits being closed by the opening of the door to actuate the motor to turn the swinging arm to close the door, and a circuit-closer actuated by the door when opened to a desired extent to open the first of said motorcircuits, substantially as described.

8. In combination with a door A,projections B and B at opposite sides of" the door, each extending, in a plane above the threshold, into the path of an approach to the door, and controlling an electric circuit closed by pressure against either projection, said circuit containing an electro-magnet D having its pivotal armature D connected with a spring-controlled reversible switch and with a circuit-closerDs, an electric motor E in two normally open electric circuits controlledby said reversible switch and containing, respectively, the circuit-closers D6 and D7, means for opening the circuit-closer D6 by the door in opening, means for holding the circuit-closer D7 open when the door is closed, aY startingspring c set by the door when closed, a rotary electric clutch F geared to the motor and in circuit withthe circuit closer D5, a swinging arm C secured at one end to the clutcharmature and connected at its opposite end oLIvER'l-L I-ncxs. RoBER'rUs F. TROY.

In presence of- M. J. FRosT,

y W. N. WILLIAMS. 

